One Choice, One Move
by Spexguy16
Summary: Spider-man has stopped the Goblin and saved New York, now, with the biggest decision he's ever had to make looming over him he needs to make a choice. Before he can make that choice however, a new threat emerges and must be stopped. Spider-man's greatest foe hits close to home. PeterxAva, Powerman a major supporting character.
1. The Road Less Traveled

He had saved his friends, he thought he had won, he was wrong.

The Goblin, the one person on this earth who could amount to limitless evil, and he had no second thoughts about ending Spider-man's world in an instant. The Hell carrier was falling apart around him and his team, Fury had sent in a shuttle to evac the team until only Spider-man and White Tiger were still aboard the derelict wreck of S.H.I.E.L.D. technology.

"GO! I'm not going without Osborn!" Spider-man yelled as the ship exploded around him. "He's still…"

Spider-man was knocked off his feet with Tiger behind him, the two now holding on to bent pieces of metal. Soon a monstrous figure hovered above them,

"Human? No, no more. And what precious speeches you're giving." Goblin stood on his glider, clearly with the upper hand in this situation.

"TIGER!" Spider-man yelled, as he witnessed one of his worst fears.

Fingers slipped, a body fell, Tiger was plummeting towards the water below. Spider-man shot a web line after his teammate, catching her leg and saving her.

"WHY? Why are you filled with so much hate!?" Spider-man asked his greatest enemy.

"Me? Let's see your ideals in action shall we? You want to save countless lives? Then It will cost you just one. Drop White Tiger, and you can stop me. HAHAHAHAHAHAHAAAAA!" Goblin flew away, offering his ultimatum to the wall crawler.

Spider-man looked down to his dangling friend, then back at the Goblin.

"Do it, you have to stop him!" Tiger assured her friend.

"Not a fan of that plan!" Spider-man said as he jumped after the Goblin, Tiger in tow.

The next few moments were a climax of sorts. Spider-man had Nova fly Tiger back up to the shuttle while he finished off the Goblin. The young hero knew he had to save the city from becoming a goblin army, and as he punched and kicked his foe, everything clicked. He was a machine, he had stopped one of the biggest threats New York has ever seen, and he had rescued his friends.

Back on the helicarrier, Spider-man was met by his team, Dr. Conners, and Coulson. Luke fist-bumped the web head, Danny bowed with respect, and Sam gave him a killer hi-five. That just left Ava. She was hanging back, watching as one of her best friends got congratulated. She was about to walk up to him when…

"Spider-man, my office. Now.' Fury ordered over the PA.

As he walked away, certain he would get an earful from the Director, Ava watched. Then she smiled.

The team had decided to follow after him once a few minutes had passed and their leader hadn't come back. It was agreed upon that they needed to know what was happening in Fury's office.

As they rounded a corner to peer through the doorway, they saw none other than Iron Man, Thor, and Captain America standing with Spider-man.

"Whoa, the Avengers? What're they doing here?" Sam pondered, curious to see why they had been called to the Tri-carrier.

The Earth's Mightiest Heroes left shortly after, turning back to Spider-man the team ran up to him, begging to know what just happened.

"What was that all about?" Luke asked.

"Yeah seriously, why were the Avengers here?" Sam added.

"They, they asked me to be on their team." Spider-man responded, followed by a short silence. Everyone took a moment to take that in.

"What!? Are you gonna do it?" Luke asked him.

"I haven't decided yet, I don't really know guys." Spider-man told them, then he looked over at Ava. She was walking away slowly with her arms crossed. Peter ran after her.

"Ava! Hey what's wrong?" He took hold of her hand and turned her around. Once he had her attention he quickly released her hand, face red.

She looked down, trying not to make eye contact. "Nothing, I'm really happy for you Parker."

He knew something was up. "I can tell when something's bothering you, I'm your friend Ava you can talk to me."

"'It's nothing, drop it." She snapped, this caught him off guard.

"Okay then, If you ever need anything, I'm here."

"Yeah, no go back to your party bugboy." She hit him on the arm and actually cracked a half smile. Peter gave her his trademark goofy grin and went back to the others.


	2. One Way to Go

**Here's Chapter 2, thanks to latinoheat151 for the review I hope everyone enjoys the next chapter!**

* * *

That night, back at the Parker household, the team was relaxing after today's exciting events.

Danny took the time to meditate in this rare moment of peace and quiet, and Sam was with him. Sam decided he should learn how to be all "zen" like his friend in order to better control himself under stressful situations. It was not going well.

"Have you fallen asleep? You know a mind that is willing, but not able, is better than one that is able, but not willing." Danny advised his companion, who certainly looked like he was dozing off.

Luke was doing his homework at the kitchen table, steadily working through math problem after math problem. He considered asking Peter to give him a little help to move through it faster, but figured it'd be better to try on his own. Peter was working also, only he was in the basement working on a special project that he was waiting to share with everyone else. Luke hadn't seen him for hours after he went down there.

There was Ava, she was in her room. Ava was feeling so confused as of late and she only knew one person who could help her right now.

"Seriously MJ I need your advice here, this is serious." The Latina spoke into her phone.

"So you say Peter might be going away for a while, and you say its for a good reason and its good for him, but you don't want him too?" The redhead replied over the line.

"Duh, but I don't know how to tell him and he's my friend and I want him to stay with m...us."

"Was that a little slip of the tongue there?"

"NO it wasn't. I think it'll be hard without him for everyone."

"Uh-huh, listen, you got a bad case of the love bug girl."

"Yeah, I totally don't."

"I think you do."

"Don't."

"I've seen the way you look at him, he makes you smile. A lot. I know because that's how he looks at you Ava. Remember Pete's still a guy, so that makes him just as dense as any other guy out there."

Ava was shocked at this, had Peter really been doing that? How come she hadn't noticed? After the whole Kraven incident, the two of them became closer than any of the others, but she never thought he had any feeling for her romantically.

"Ava? You still there?" MJ wondered, the lack of a voice on the other end raised some suspicion.

"Yeah, MJ, I'm here." Ava spoke, clearing her throat.

"So are you gonna tell him?"

"Tell him what? Why shouldn't I just wait for him to ask me out?"

"You already know the answer to that."

"I guess, he's pretty oblivious isn't he."

"You've just summed up Peter Parker in one word."

Ava laughed a little at that comment. She would describe him as selfless, heroic, brave, rash, and idiot, but charming, handsome, and despite what she'd ever tell anyone, funny.

"Thanks MJ, I really needed this." Ava thanked her friend.

"You got it, now go get him."

Ava hang up her phone, and took a deep breath. She had never done anything like this before. Everything she'd ever prepared for was nothing compared to this. The first step was always the hardest, so she went downstairs.

"Hey where's Peter?" Ava asked the rest of the team.

"In his lab." Luke answered, not even looking up from his paper.

Peter was hanging upside down from the ceiling, testing out new sleaker web shooters. He heard footsteps and dropped down to the floor and slid everything hero-related into a box. The worst thing that could happen was his aunt May comes down and sees all his Spider-man gear.

It was Ava.

"Whew, I thought it was my aunt. Didn't want her to see all the hero stuff." Peter wiped imaginary sweat from his forehead.

"No idiot, your aunt's still out." Ava told him.

"Right, so what's going on?" Peter wondered if this had anything to do with how she was acting before.

Ava paused for a second, took a deep breath, and said; "I need to tell you something."


	3. Dude Where's my Web Shooters

**Thanks for the continuing support guys! Here's chapter 3!**

* * *

"I need to tell you something." Ava looked at Peter.

"Oh, uh, really? What is it?" Peter questioned.

"First, have you decided about the Avengers?"

Peter was startled by this. He wasn't expecting her to ask him about that, then he realized how she reacted when he said he might be joining the Avengers.

"I, uh, well I, um…" Peter mentally slapped himself for forgetting how to speak english.

"Wow Parker thanks for your input."

"No it's just I, I wasn't really expecting that."

"Yeah well I...we really want you to stay. It's selfish but it's the truth."

Ava kept talking and Peter could see sadness in her eyes. This was affecting her worse than he ever imagined.

"Are you even listening!? Seriously Parker I'm trying to tell you something the least you could do is pa…" She was cut off by a familiar feeling. Peter had embraced her in a warm hug, just like she had done to him after the fight with the Hunter.

"Ava...thank you." Peter whispered into her ear.

Peter thought he heard a sniffle, and he did. Ava was crying. One of the toughest people he knew, was crying on his shoulder.

"Ava, what's this all about? I've never seen you like this before…" Peter spoke softly, concern and amazement in his tone.

"I talked to MJ Peter, she told me I needed to open up to you, to tell you what you mean to me."

"In that case I should tell you what you mean to me." Peter looked her dead in the eyes, he was smiling. So was she.

"This is an amazing opportunity for you but we want you to..I want you to stay."

"I don't want to leave any of you guys. I'm not sure what to do though, I mean you can't just turn down the Avengers."

"Goofball, I think you should go. This is huge for you, as much as I want you to stay, its wrong to hold you back from becoming the hero you were meant to be."

"Ava I'm sorry…"

Peter's apology confused Ava. "Sorry for what?"

"I'm gonna go clear my head, put things in perspective. I need to do this alone." Peter let go of her and started to walk away.

"It's fine, do what you need to."

He smiled back at her, this caused her to smile also. He could always make her smile.

Peter ran back upstairs leaving her there in the basement. Ava looked around while she was alone, a box under the table with two letters on it. "R. P." Despite not liking to snoop around, she opened the box. Inside were a bunch of S.H.I.E.L.D. files, Ava saw the names.

"Richard Parker, Mary Parker...are these Peter's parents?" Ava flipped through the papers and read everything not covered in black ink.

_Peter's parents were agents, they had been called for a mission and had to do something about Peter...they left him with his aunt and uncle..._

Ava looked further into the files, she covered her mouth in shock.

_They...the plane...it crashed...They died on impact...Peter..._

Ava, upon learning about Peter's parents, immediately understood all the hardships Peter had to go through as a kid. Underneath that goofy exterior full of jokes, Peter's life has always been full of tragedy.

* * *

Spider-man swung through the air of New York City at night. The lights of the city that never sleeps filling his view as well as the bustling crowds beneath him.

_So I can leave my team and become an Avenger, or stay with my team and still be able to hang out with them. Can I be on both teams? Like Nova's with the Guardians of the Galaxy too...I mean __I__ know I came out here to think but now seriously I need a distraction._

BOOM!

_New York you never disappoint._

Almost on cue, a distant explosion caught the web slinger's attention. Spider-man turned around and swung for Central Park.

As he neared his destination he could see the masses of people bolting the other way, terrified of whatever he was heading right towards.

Spider-man arrived at Central Park, and as he landed he saw a crater and a cloud of smoke.

_Spider sense! Not good!_

A massive figure jumped out of the smoke at him, he barely had enough time to jump out of the way.

"Look if you're gonna be destroying the city, can we make it another time? I don't want all the glory of kicking your butt to myself. I hear it's bad for my ego!" Spider-man joked to the whatever-it-was he was fighting.

"Oh how I missed the jokes. It's like it was only yesterday." The figure was a man, and his voice sounded familiar somehow.

"Do I know you? Because I don't remember anyone named 'Raving Lunatic' on my Christmas card list."

The man lunged at the teen hero, sending a kick at Spidey's face he once again almost couldn't dodge.

_He's fast! Gotta play this smart, read his moves._

Spider-man shot a web line at his leg hoping to trip him, but to Spider-man's surprise, the man used some sort of claws to slice through it.

"Gonna have to do better than those old tricks!"

"Who are you? I've never met you before!"

"You know me very well Spider-man, better than you realize."

Spider-man was caught off guard by this statement, but even more when he got a good look at his attacker. He didn't recognize him, but what he was wearing. Powerman's visor, and White Tiger's Claws, re-purposed to give him added abilities as well as refitted into his black bodysuit.

One thing shocked him the most.

Thwip!

Spider-man had been ensnared in a web. The mystery man had web shooters. He pulled Spider-man in towards him and used his claws to swipe at him. Spider-man twisted in midair so that the claws only grazed his chest, leaving tears in his suit.

"Hey! I should sue you know! That's so not okay!" Spider-man pointed a finger at him as he landed. "Now I'll ask once again, WHO ARE YOU!?"

The mystery man stood up straight. "Ask Madame Web." He turned around to walk away.

Spider-man too this opening to get a solid attack in. Spider-man jumped at him and prepared a flying punch. The mystery man sidestepped him and elbowed him in the ribs, Spider-man heard a crack.

"Better luck next time, I know I'm gonna need it." The mystery man said, Spider-man blacked out.


	4. Strange New Worlds

**Thanks to ilikehats2 and everyone who's send anonymous reviews for the support! Honestly I never really thought I'd get this far on my first story. I've got two more chapters already written after this one plus more in the works. I'm also gonna be accepting private messages for a contest of sorts in the future so stay tuned!**

* * *

Spider-man opened his eyes. As he got to his feet he felt a sharp pain in his right side.

_Ah! Forgot about that! Pain, pain is bad. Seriously, what was up with that guy? Why did he sound so...and who is Madame Web?_

"That would be me Spider-man." An elderly woman's voice echoed in his mind.

"Huh? What? Who's there?" Spider-man panicked, he looked around him but saw no evidence of where the voice came from.

A projection of a woman's head appeared before him, she was wearing a blindfold and had short white hair.

"I am not your enemy young Peter. I am a psychic, and I possess the power to observe and travel between all dimensions and times." Web replied.

"Okay, so you're a floating head. Can you help me? I don't know what to do? That guy, he beat me without a second thought. He has my team's gear and he knows me but I don't know him and…" Spider-man spoke at a mile a minute as confusion and panic rushed over him, a feeling that wasn't typical of the hero.

"Stay calm, I can help you. But then you must help yourself."

"Oh great, another living fortune cookie. Just what I needed today."

"I will send you to where you need to go, it is another world. This one is very different from ours and you will be a stranger there."

"Fine, I just need to stop this guy before he does anything to hurt my friends. I'm an Avenger, well kinda, but anyway I have to fix this. I let him get away because I wasn't strong enough, now it's my responsibility."

"Very well. I will transport you there, but then you are on your own. This is a path you must forge for yourself. I will retrieve you once you have competed your task."

A bright light then appeared around Spider-man, engulfing him. He felt strange at first but then oddly calm. Madame Web's voice echoed in his brain.

"Take heed Spider-man and be cautious, for from this point on you are your own worst enemy."

_What the heck does that mean? She sounds like Ava, always telling me I'm too reckless and hotheaded._ _Shoot! I forgot about Ava and the others! Oh man if I survive this she's gonna kill me! I hope Madame Web can send me back to this exact time or else I am royally screwed.__  
_

The light vanished and Spider-man looked at the landscape. He saw a crater in front of him, but smoke filled the night sky and the buildings looked abandoned. He noticed his ribs had healed, as were the cuts on his chest.

"Thanks Madame Web, although I guess she's not a cosmic tailor or seamstress." Spider-man saw his costume was still damaged.

Spidey shot a web up towards a building, hoping to regain his bearings and get a vantage point. What he saw terrified him.

_No, no no no it can't be…_

The skyline revealed Stark Tower, the Empire State Building, and a crashed Tri-Carrier in the East River. This was New York City. Here, he most definitely was a stranger.

As he was web swinging above the streets the silence gave him chills. The people were gone, cars were empty and dead, the plants had overgrown. It was New York City alright, but never had Spider-man ever imagined it like this.

_I need to find someone, anyone, I have to find out what happened here._

Spider-man reached the Daily Bugle, and jumped into Jameson's office through a broken window.

_No power, no computers. Crap, maybe…_

He found a newspaper, the date was exactly one day before he had left his own world, the day he beat the Goblin.

Thinking out loud; "I'm in some twisted future, but what made everything so wrong here?"

Spider-man walked over to a desk and sat down, taking everything in.

"I should go to my house, see if I can get any leads." An idea forming in his head.

Spider-man jumped out of the Bugle and swung for Forest Hills, Queens.

Everything along the way looked the same. Destroyed, derelict, broken. His house looked no different. Spider-man crawled in through his bedroom window and looked around his home. The furniture was in disarray, and no signs of life were to be found.

_Why can't I find anyone!? I need one sign, just one bit of help here!_

Spider-man walked into his backyard and felt his heart stop. There was a cross.

His aunt May was dead in this world.

The one blood relative he had, was gone.

Seeing this broke him. Taking his mask off Peter knelt and cried. He did this for half an hour. Even though it wasn't his aunt May it was so real, and the thought killed him.

Pulling himself together Spider-man decided to investigate the downed Tri-Carrier. The best chance he had of being able to see his family and friends again was to find them in this world. Mask on, tears wiped away, the webbed wonder took off into the air.

_I really hope I run into someone, I'm starting to get really creeped out being alone._


	5. He's Back

**I have some bad news everyone, there's a hardware issue with my computer so I might not be able to update as often as I would like. I have to sen it away to get fixed but I'll try to use other computers in the meantime. I appreciate you guys understanding and thank you for reading. Anyway here's chapter 5!**

* * *

The Tri-Carrier had crashed close enough to the City that Spider-man could slingshot himself over there without any issue. Getting back, seemed to be another matter.

_Well, here goes nothing._

With that, he was gone. Soaring through the air Spider-man landed safely on the deck of the Tri-Carrier, he walked inside to search for signs of S.H.I.E.L.D.

Red emergency power lights were on everywhere, the creaking sounds of the ship filled the metal halls.

_Well this isn't creepy or anything._

Parker luck working its magic, Spider-man heard footsteps and a snarl. Now things were really starting to get to him.

_Spider sense! I knew this was too easy._

A dark figure jumped out and pinned Spider-man to the ground, it looked like a smaller version of Venom!

"What the heck is going on here? Venom! Who did you take over this time!?" Spider-man said as he threw the symbiote off of him into a wall.

Spidey got up and saw the corridor was filling up with these small symbiotes, just like when the Venom Bomb went off and all the agents were taken over.

"Uh-oh! Not good! I'm outta here!" Spider-man high tailed it out of there and swung through the halls to escape his pursuers, but they just kept coming from all directions. Eventually he made it back out onto the deck, but Spider-man was surrounded.

Fighting the symbiotes off from all sides, Spider-man knew he was stuck in a losing battle. One of them got a lucky shot in and it was enough to give more of them a chance to pounce. Soon Spider-man was at the bottom of a symbiote dog pile until something grabbed his hand and pulled him out.

Before he knew what was going on Spider-man was teleported to a dark room that looked like it was underground. Spidey took a look at his rescuer and was filled with joy.

"Luke! Holy cannoli you're here! God I missed you! I was certain I was alone here! What's going on? What's with the Tri-Carrier? Where's everyone else?" Spider-man hugged his friend.

Luke was different though, he looked older and had a beard now. He was wearing a yellow racing jacket, cargo pants, and boots. He was missing his visor.

"Parker? Is it really you?" Luke asked, astonished.

Spider-man took off his mask.

"It totally is, man I have missed you." Luke grabbed him and gave Peter a noogie.

"What happened here? Everything's so different from my world."

"Your world? You're not our webhead, then he really is…" Luke's expression changed to one of sadness.

"Yeah Madame Web brought me here, some crazy guy came to my world and kicked the crap outta me. I'm here to find a way to beat him."

"He had all our old gear didn't he?"

"That's him." Peter nodded.

"Sit down, I'll fill you in."

They both took a seat in the room.

"First off," Luke began; "this is midtown high. I brought us here via short-range teleporter."

"Cool, continue."

"Our fight with the Goblin was fifteen years ago Pete. It was bad."

"Fifteen years? What do you mean bad? We beat him!" Peter protested.

"Not here you didn't, he detonated his Goblin bombs and turned New York into his kingdom, destroying the city in the process. Dr. Connors mass-produced the antidote and we dispersed it, but the serum had changed. Everyone affected was killed instantly."

Peter couldn't believe it, he had failed here?

"What about the rest of the team? Where are they?"

"Danny went to Kunlun for his trial to become King. When you went with him he got poisoned."

"Yeah and I raced Scorpion and he lost and we cured Danny."

"Wrong again, Scorpion beat you at the last second and Danny remained incapacitated. He gave up being Iron Fist and Scorpion threw him in prison. I heard that his system has cured him by now, but with all the security he can't escape."

Peter knew he'd have to save him, he figured he'd have to get his old team together again.

"Sam? What about him?"

"Nova returned to duty with the Guardians of the Galaxy."

"So can't we just go get him?"

Luke's face sank into his hands.

"Peter, Sam's dead."

The news hit him like a flying bucket head.

"I can't believe it...Sam…" As much as he annoyed Peter, Sam was still his friend.

"I'm almost scared to ask about Ava."

"She's been off the team for years, ever since Kraven took the amulet from her she became a civilian and gave up the superheroics."

"I beat Kraven…" Peter whispered.

"Nobody's seen or heard from her since, she went completely underground. It's sheer luck that she told me where to find her after that night...when you left."

"Which brings me to my next question," Peter began.

"You, you were the deciding factor here. Our version of you never won these major fights. That's what's different." Luke told him.

"Makes sense, this is a world where I never became the Ultimate Spider-man." Peter stated.

"What about me? Where am I?" Peter asked.

"You went rogue Pete, took all our stuff and a bunch of tech from the Baxter Building. None of us have heard from you in years."

"I need to find Ava, then we can rescue Danny. I need to bring you guys back to my world to stop myself. Luke, the guy who showed up and beat me? He was me, from this world."

"That, actually makes sense. Alright, I'll show you where Ava is, bring her back here and we can work out a plan to get Danny. I can focus on transport to China while you're out."

"Nice, I really think we can do this man!" Peter high-fived his longtime friend.

"Alright let's get down to business."

"To defeat the Huns?"

"What are you talking about?" Luke looked at Peter like he was crazy.

"Mulan? No? Nothing? Dude how have you not seen that movie?" Now Peter thought Luke was crazy.

"Can you be serious for one second?"

"Wow, I guess you haven't seen me in a while." Peter chuckled, Luke facepalmed.

* * *

**I'm now accepting any private messages anyone may have regarding the following:**

**1. The new alternate appearances for Danny and Ava, hopefully something that indicates lack of "superheroing" or hopelessness. I'd like for them to almost be polar opposites of their normal selves.**

**2. Whether or not alternate future Nova should still be alive as well as a legitimate reason he could be.**

**3. Which alternate future villains you'd like to see, and also how they may be different.**

**I already have plans for a few of them so bear with me if I don't go with an idea for one that I already wrote into the story.**

**Any winning ideas will receive the ORIGINAL STORY UNEDITED in full as a private message or email (whichever is preferred) as well as the next chapter two days before I upload it here.**

**The contest will run from March 9th 2014 until March 16th, so there's some time to come up with ideas and submit them. I'm cutting the contest a little short so there isn't a huge time gap until chapter 6.**

**Thanks for the support and I hope you enjoy what I have planned!**


	6. Plans

**Here's a very short little chapter while I'm going through the contest submissions. It's not much but I can also give you guys an update on what you're going to be seeing later on. I've already decided on a few things:**

**Kraven and Doc Ock will definitely be a couple of the returning villains. Ava will come back in the next chapter, but you'll have to wait a bit for Danny. It's a dead heat as far as votes go for an alive or dead Nova, so we'll see how that goes.**

* * *

Spider-man needed a plan. He was going to find Ava, and hopefully she'd help him and Luke get Danny back. Luke explained that he'd been imprisoned and probably tortured by Scorpion for years. Spider-man couldn't live with that, he needed a plan.

_First things first, I need to get Ava on board with this. I'll probably have to get her amulet back from Kraven at some point; we'll need the old White Tiger back on our side for this one._

Spidey paced around the underground base that lay beneath his old school. Luke was busy making arrangements for getting to China, as the whole plan was worthless if they couldn't get to Danny.

_I wish Sam was still here, without him this is gonna be a lot harder. I didn't even consider what to do if Ava won't help us; I guess I'll have to hope she will._

"Hey Luke, have you made any progress?" Peter asked his friend.

"Not yet, I was hoping I'd be able to find an old Quinjet but so far nothing's turned up." Luke replied disappointed.

"Just keep looking, you'll find something." Peter patted him on the back and walked away. _You have to Luke, you have to._

Spider-man decided it was time to find Ava. He left Midtown High wondering what he would do when he finally reached her.

_Well, no time like the present, or future in my case._

* * *

**While the contest is going on I'll be diverging from Spider-man's story in the future. Instead I'll be giving some background as to what's happening in the present timeline after Spider-man left. It will feature the regular versions of the team as well as the alternate evil Spider-man.**


	7. Missing

**Here's a little filler stuff until the next real chapter comes out, hope you enjoy this bit of side tracking.**

* * *

Ava was worried. Peter had gone out a long time ago and she hadn't seen any sign of him since. Worried that something was up, she walked into the living room where the guys were playing video games.

"Hey has anyone seen Peter? Did he come back and just not tell me?" Ava asked.

"Nope, haven't seen him." Luke said, still focusing on the game.

"Me neither." Sam added, frustrated that he was losing.

"I have not seen our friend for some time." Danny informed her as calm as ever.

"I think something's up…" Ava whispered.

Going into her room, Ava sat down on her bed and turned on the news. What she saw made her jump a little.

'Breaking news: Spider-man missing after fight with unidentified combatant. More on this at 11.'

"Oh my god, I have to tell Fury." Ava suited up and went downstairs to tell the others.

"Guys Peter's in trouble, I saw it on the news. We need to go." She ordered them.

"Who died and made her team leader?" Sam wondered out loud.

"Maybe Peter if we don't find out what happened, now MOVE." Ava was angry now, she was worried about what could've happened to her friend.

The team made their way to Central Park where Spider-man had fought his alternate self. S.H.I.E.L.D. was already on scene investigating. When the team showed up they made their way over to Director Fury.

"What happened here sir?" Powerman asked, although he doubted he would get a definite answer.

"Not sure as of right now. All we know is Spider-man fought someone here, they escaped, and now the webhead's gone." Fury responded.

"Did anyone get a good look at who it was?" Ava was hoping somebody had some idea what it was that they were up against.

"Not that we know, reports said he was in a black suit and in his early to mid-30s based on height." Fury informed the team. "The only evidence we found here was some of Spider-man's blood as well as some webs, also Spider-man's."

"I don't think so sir." White Tiger sniffed the webs, her tiger amulet gave her heightened senses and she smelled a difference. "The webs are definitely Spider-man's, but these smell different somehow…"

"So you're saying someone else is shooting webs around here?" Nova theorized.

"Could it have been Venom?" Iron Fist suggested.

"The symbiote is somewhere in space remember? Spider-man saw to that." Fury reminded him.

"Whatever it is, it's not good." Tiger said ominously.

_Peter...where are you? _Tiger was a bit scared. She never got the chance to tell Peter how she really felt, and now he was missing. At this point Ava feared the worst.

"We'll keep investigating here, the four of you should go home and see if Parker turns up." Fury told the teen heroes.

"Yes sir." The four of them replied.

On a rooftop nearby, far away from the action, a dark figure watched the masses of agents scouring the crater.

"So it seems my counterpart has gone to my world, should be interesting to see how this plays out. Maybe I'll have some fun here while I wait." The figure said to himself.

He chuckled to himself and left, disappearing into the darkness.


	8. Meeting again for the First Time

**Contest submissions are beginning to slow down so I'll start putting together the next official chapter soon, in the meantime here's more of what's happening with the team back in the present. Enjoy!**

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At the Parker house, the team was trying to come up with a way to explain Peter's disappearance to his aunt May. So far they'd come up with nothing.

"Maybe we just tell her the truth?" Sam said, figuring someone had to put that idea out there.

"Yeah we might as well just give her a heart attack ourselves buckethead." Ava scolded him.

"Since when do you use Parker speak?"

"Shut up Sam, we need to figure this out." Ava tried to hide the fact that she was blushing.

"Maybe we tell her Peter saw what went down at Central Park and the police have him for questioning?" Luke thought this made sense. "It's not a complete lie if you think about it considering he was actually there." He added.

"I kinda like that one, it's not too unbelieveable, but we need a more long-term explanation." Ava pointed out.

"This should do in the meantime until a solution presents itself." Danny tried to calm everyone down, but he was as concerned as they were about what might happen.

Ava woke up the next morning and still no sign of Peter. After having a bowl of cereal she decided patrol would be good to take her mind off the current problem. White Tiger suited up and jumped out her window.

After jumping from building to building for almost an hour, White Tiger had grown bored.

"Of course the one day I really need something to happen, New York City's as quiet as a mouse." Tiger thought out loud.

"Well maybe I can help with that." Ava heard a man's voice behind her. She turned around quickly to see a man in a black suit standing in front of her.

"And just who are you supposed to be?" Tiger asked, taking a fighting stance.

"Nobody special, but I know what happened to Parker."

Tiger couldn't hide her shock at this statement. "Who are you talking about? Who's Parker?"

"Parker, Spider-man, it makes no difference _Ava_."

Tiger immediately charged at him, she electrified her claws and swiped at his face. The man dodged them with ease and grabbed her arm to send her across the rooftop.

"Where is he!?" Tell me!" White Tiger yelled at him as she came back for another attack.

"He went where I came from, and he's never coming back." The man used his own claws to swipe at her, as she dodged he took the opening to web her feet to the roof.

"You! You were fighting Spider-man last night!" Tiger deduced as she ripped the webs off her.

"As smart as ever, and I'll give you the same gift I gave him!" The man jumped forward, as Tiger threw a kick at him he jumped over it and landed behind her. The man then kicked her right in the ribs, Tiger doubled over in pain.

"Gotta love the ones you really feel." The man chuckled and walked over to White Tiger.

As he knelt by her he said; "I remember when you were this good, a pity really." He stood up and began to walk away. "Oh yeah, definitely gonna have fun here."

Ava watched the man jump off the roof and called the team.

"Guys...I need help...please…" Tiger said weakly, her broken ribs causing her intense pain.

"TIGER WE'RE COMING!" The team said. Within minutes they'd tracked her signal and brought Ava to the Tri-Carrier.

Ava was in the med bay, bandaged up and lying a bed. The team was there with her when Fury walked in.

"You mind explaining to me what happened out there!?" Fury demanded.

"I was on patrol when this guy came up behind me, he said he knew where Peter was and he knew our identities. I don't know how." Ava enlightened the group on his powers, his gear, and what he said to her. None of them took it without surprise.

"This is serious, that's two of us he's taken out and we don't even know who he is!" Luke exclaimed. Everyone just looked at him, clearly saying what they were thinking.

"Team none of you are to go anywhere near this guy until we know more. I want to see any video of this guy so we can see what we're up against." Fury was serious, and nobody had any intention of disobeying those orders, not even Sam.

Fury left the room along with the rest of the team so Ava could rest.

_Peter was fighting that guy for 10 minutes? I barely lasted 5. I gotta give him credit, he may be an idiot but he's one of the strongest heroes I know._

Ava fell asleep, wanting to heal as fast as possible. She'd hate for Peter to come back and find her like this, if he was ever coming back at all.


	9. Broken

**Alright everyone with my computer getting repaired for the next two weeks this will be the last update until the release of chapter 6. You'll have to go a few days without anything but I thank you all for understanding. So here's the finale of this part of the story!**

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The future Peter Parker had found himself a nice little hideout. An abandoned warehouse on the docks near the George Washington bridge. The seclusion made an excellent place for him to relax and plan his next moves.

"I think I'll play around with my friends while I'm here, and I might as well say hello to Fury along the way. Who knows, I might take over the Tri-Carrier and make it mine!" Peter knew he was strong enough to beat any of his former teammates along with anything S.H.I.E.L.D. could throw at him. "If I'm gonna do it, I might as well do it in style."

Peter got to work making himself a costume. He'd decided to ditch the red and blue and take some inspiration from Venom. His new suit was black with white spider wrapping around his waist and over his shoulders. His mask retained his classic pointed eyes however. Peter made allowances for "his" claws and slipped his web shooters over them.

"I do love it when a plan comes together."

The team was growing restless. With Ava still recovering, the guys were left alone to do nothing, just like Fury had ordered them to.

"I hate this! I feel so useless right now!" Sam yelled, breaking the silence of the Parker home.

"We know Sam, we all feel the same way." Luke reassured him.

"It is not wise to act with so little information about our foe." Danny tried to bring Sam to his senses. "We were also given direct orders not to pursue."

"I know, but that doesn't mean I can't be mad about it." Sam responded, he was pissed that he couldn't do anything.

"I'm going out, don't try to stop me." Sam went upstairs and grabbed his helmet.

"We're coming too." Luke and Danny were already in costume waiting for Sam to come back down. "That guy ran into Ava, she wasn't trying to find him." Luke said.

"So that means that either it was dumb luck…" Sam added as he put his helmet on.

"Or he was searching for her." Iron Fist pondered. "Whoever this man is, he may be looking to single us out and pick us off one at a time."

"I've got an idea." Powerman started, "Nova, you go fly around by yourself. Iron Fist and I will stay back and out of sight. With any luck, he'll attack you."

"Remind me why getting attacked is a good thing?" Nova wondered, clueless as usual.

"If our mystery man shows himself, it'll be three-on-one." Iron Fist filled him in.

"Right, Tiger and webs fought him alone, together we can beat him!" Nova finally put two and two together to get four.

The three of them then headed out for the city.

Once they'd gone far enough into the urban jungle, the team began it's plan. Nova flew around, in and out of random streets and between buildings. He did this for a solid fifteen minutes, then he started to get bored.

"I'm already starting to hate this plan, I feel like bait." Nova said to himself.

"Just keep flying, we'll give him another half-hour. If nothing happens by then we'll call it a night." Powerman said over their comms.

"Whatever, I'll just keep flying in circles."

Five minutes passed and still nothing.

And then another five,

and another five,

and another five.

_Thwip!_

Nova felt his body come to a sudden halt, a web line was attached to his foot. A man dressed in a black suit with a spider on it had tether him to a rooftop.

"Guys! We got company!" Nova informed his team. "He's on the roof across from me!" Nova blasted the webs to free himself then flew at his assailant.

The future Peter jumped out of the way and clawed at Nova's back, ripping his suit.

"Come on buckethead is that all you've got?" Peter taunted him.

"Spider-man I swear if that's you!" Nova was angry now, he flew back at Peter just as Powerman and Iron Fist arrived on the scene.

"Nova we're here!" Powerman yelled.

Peter jumped up and web-zipped into Nova, kicking him into Powerman and sending them flying into a watertower.

"I'm not the Spider you know, I'm better than he is." Peter stood above them, enjoying the feeling of overpowering his enemies so easily.

Iron Fist jumped out of the water and lunged at Peter, his glowing hand headed straight for Peter's face.

"HYAAAAH!" Iron Fist let all of his might rush into this one attack. "No...how can you?"

Peter had stood still and caught his hand, Iron Fist's punch had been intercepted and caught with no reaction from the man who had done the impossible.

"Iron Fist, you shouldn't have done that." Peter looked at him and applied pressure to the blonde teen's wrist. Then he pushed.

_Snap!_

Iron Fist lay there on the ground, his hand broken and bloody. Powerman looked to his side and saw Nova, unconscious. He was all that was left.

"You monster...I'm gonna end this right now. You're not taking me down." Powerman was infuriated at what had happened to his friends. The rooftop beneath him cracked as Powerman dug himself in. Using all of his strength, Powerman pushed off and rushed Peter.

It happened in an instant. Powerman threw out his punch, slamming his knuckles into the black-suited man's stomach.

_He had to feel that, just gotta keep going! _Powerman kept burying his fist, and wound up for another.

"You put up a good fight Cage, but our little dance is over." Peter said, although it was strained and weak.

Peter used his claws to dig into Powerman's arm so he'd release his attack. Using his webs, Peter blinded the hero.

"Now for the finishing touch!" Peter took advantage of this oppurtunity and thrusted his knee into Powerman's chest, knocking the wind out of him.

"Hard to fight me when you're fighting to breathe." Then he punched Powerman in the face and threw him across the rooftop over to where the rest of his team was.

"Whew, that was fun guys. I hope I didn't scramble your brains too bad, I wanna play again with the lot of you some other time, laters." Peter jumped off the rooftop and headed back to his warehouse. "That was fun, although I underestimated Powerman, that actually hurt."

Back on the rooftop, Powerman stabilized his breathing. The others were still out cold.

"Powerman to S.H.I.E.L.D., we need immediate medical attention at my location. I repeat, immediate medical attention." Luke called for evac, before long they'd be seeing Ava and getting an earful from Fury. "Today did not go as planned."

Future Peter managed to take his old team out of commission single handedly. Spider-man was still lost in another world, trying to find a way to save his home, but will he make it back in time (see what I did there?) to use what learns?

ONE CHOICE, ONE MOVE: PRESENT DAY: END


	10. It's Her

**Alright everybody here's the long awaited chapter 6! Like I said the winners have already received this, but now here it is for the rest of you. Thanks for reading and I'm glad to hear your feedback.**

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Spider-man sat atop a rooftop, overlooking the destruction that had befallen his home city.

_I can't get over the fact that I'm responsible for this, well not __me__ but still. I have to stop Evil-Spidey, Anti-Spidey, Arachno-terror-guy? I need to come up with a name for this other version of me._

He stood up and looked down at the map Luke had made for him. Ava was hiding out somewhere in Soho. Apparently she had found a way to survive by herself in this world devoid of hope and heroes. Spider-man was anxious to see how she'd react to his presence.

_With any luck she'll only kill me, worst case scenario she knocks me out and feeds me to the symbiotes on the Tri-Carrier._

Spider-man landed on the streets of Manhattan in the general area Luke said Ava would be. He wasn't sure how to find her exact location though.

_I don't suppose I can just scream 'here kitty kitty' and she'll come running. Maybe I need to give her a sign._

Spidey jumped onto a building and ran up the wall onto the roof.

_This should be perfect._

Shooting a web-line from where we was to the building opposite him on the street, Spider-man decided to literally give Ava a sign. When he was done, a massive web had been spun with 'Tiger' written in it.

_That should do the trick. Now we wait and hope she comes out to see it._

Spider-man made himself a web hammock to take a breather, given a rare moment of downtime he took the time to reflect on what had transpired in the recent hours. Eventually, he just fell asleep.

_Spider sense!_

Spider-man opened his eyes to see the barrel of a rifle pointed at his face. Acting on instinct, he knocked it away and shot a web ball at the weapon as he retreated several yards backward. It was difficult to make out who was trying to kill him. At this time of night, with no streetlights on, there wasn't any source of illumination aside from the moon.

"Okay, so what's your deal huh? Try to pick off the superhero while he's asleep? I'll have you know I'm waiting for someone and if I miss her she's gonna kill me." Spider-man explained to the figure in front of him.

"I swear if you aren't who you look like I'm going to do much worse than kill you." The voice came from a woman. Spider-man thought about it for a moment.

"Ava?" He asked.

The figure walked out into the moonlight.

"Quiet!" Ava pointed the rifle at Spider-man. "I don't know who you think you are but if you don't take off that mask now I'll put one right between your eyes." Clearly she was not happy.

Spider-man stood up, lowered his guard, and took off his mask.

"Tiger, it's me." Peter walked slowly over to her, she raised her weapon again and he stopped.

"That's impossible, you're so young and your suit...you haven't worn those colors in years." Ava wasn't convinced.

"I'm not the 'me' that you know, I'm from another world. Madame Web sent me here to find a way to stop your version of me from terrorizing my world." Peter explained. "Luke told me where to find you."

"I haven't talked to anyone from the team in a long time." Ava finally holstered her gun. "I must look like a total stranger to you. A lot's changed since we were kids, well you still are I guess." She chuckled at that.

"You're not that different, do you still think I'm hilarious?" Spidey asked.

"Same old webhead, you are such an _idiot._" Ava smiled as she said that.

"Whoa blast from the past!" Spider-man smiled at her. He took in her new look and realized she hadn't been the same Ava he knew for a long time.

Years of civilian life had taken its toll on Ava. She now wore a denim jacket that she left open, a plain white t-shirt underneath and a pair of black jeans and work boots.

"Where have you been all this time? I'd imagine it'd be hard to live out here on the streets." Peter asked, curious to hear how she'd done it.

"Underground base. It's a long story." Ava replied.

"I've got time."

"Take a seat."

After the accident Ava was living with a group of survivors in an old bomb shelter. Eventually, some of the people had gone insane and either killed themselves or the others. For a whole year, Ava was alone in the shelter with nobody else. She was beginning to worry as food was running out down there.

Ava told Spider-man about the shelter, thousands of books in a library of epic proportions filled hall after hall. Apparently the shelter was commissioned by S.H.I.E.L.D. in the 60's in case of nuclear war. The only things to do down there were read and eat. Ava's love for literary masterpieces was the only thing that kept her from losing her mind like the others. Unfortunately for her, it meant she hadn't been doing much activity for over a decade. With no weights or training room, it had been difficult to keep up the same level of exercise as her days as White Tiger. Spider-man noticed she looked out of shape.

"Ava, are you okay?" Spidey noticed she seemed to be crying.

"I think I know why you're here, you want my help."

"Well, yeah actually. Will you help me save Danny?" He asked.

"I don't think I'm up to it. I don't have my powers anymore and I'm not exactly as strong as I used to be." He had noticed, she had lost some muscle definition after years of confinement underground. The only reason Ava saw his web was because shew always comes up at night to stargaze. Her hair was messy, she had dark circles under her eyes from lack of deep sleep, and her body overall was, softer.

"We'll see what we can do, Ava, I need you. Not 'we', not the team, I do." He extended his hand.

"Alright webs, you got me." She stood up and took his hand. He turned around and motioned for her to get on his back so he could swing the two of them to midtown. Ava took hold of him and they were off.

"Whew! That's new!" Spider-man grunted as he swung with Ava on his back.

"What are you talking about?"

Spider-man realized he'd just put himself in a tight spot. "Um, nothing it's just that uh…"

"Spit it out Parker." Ava demanded.

"You just seem a little, you know...heavier." Spidey mentally kicked himself for saying that.

"Just swing on your webs Peter, I think I'll have to start training with Luke." Ava knew what he said was true, she was determined to get herself back in fighting condition before they went to China.

"Yes ma'am." And they carried on.


	11. Hunting the Hunter

**Hey everyone! I'm putting this up to let you all know what's in store and to tell you some news. My computer's back and fixed so I'll be able to update again, however I'll be going on a little hiatus as of right now. I'm gonna take this time to start planning out where I want this story to go so this is gonna be it for about a week or so. Sorry for the delays but life has a way of nailing you with a bunch of stuff at once. I'm glad people are liking the story so I'll end up posting several chapters at once instead of one chapter over a steady period of time. Thanks and I hope you like what's coming up!**

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Spider-man and Ava soon arrived back at midtown high. The two made their way to Luke so Spidey could give him the good news.

"Ava! It's good to see you!" Luke exclaimed, almost in shock that she came back.

"Yeah, although I'm not sure what use I can be without my powers…" Ava's head sank.

"Well let's change that shall we?" Spider-man spoke up.

He knew that he'd have to track down Kraven and get Ava's amulet back. White Tiger needed her powers if they were going to get Danny back. How this would be accomplished, was another matter.

"You plan on going after Kraven? Are you insane?" Ava questioned him.

"We need you're powers Ava, it's the best chance we have right now. Kraven has to be dealt with."

"If you say so, Peter, be careful." Ava sounded concerned.

"I beat him where I come from, shouldn't be that bad here." Spider-man was worried though, he figured Kraven would have backup. "Luke you need to get Ava back in fighting condition, I'll take care of getting her amulet."

"Are you sure? Shouldn't we come too?" Luke asked.

"No, I've got this. You guys get to work and I'll be back soon." Spider-man left the school and his friends.

_Now if I were a crazy hunter with horrible fashion sense where would I be? A zoo? A museum? A pet store? Maybe if I just swing around long enough he'll come to me. That's the thing with my life, whatever's trying to kill me at any point always finds me first. I love this city sometimes._

Spider-man began his search, hoping to complete his task sooner rather than later.


	12. Back in Black

Spider-man was at a loss. He knew Kraven had Ava's White Tiger amulet, but he had no clue where to find him. Under normal circumstances, Spider-man would've gone to S.H.I.E.L.D. for any surveillance they'd found that could lead him to Kraven. Unfortunately, the only way to get any information on Kraven's whereabouts was the downed Tri-Carrier.

_I really shouldn't be doing this, jumping right into a symbiote infested wreck looking for something that might not even be there is not my best plan ever. Still, if there's a chance I could find that Russian nutjob I have to take it._

Spider-man slingshotted himself back onto the Tri-Carrier, except this time he knew what he was in for.

_Gotta stick to the shadows, get it? Stick? Because I'm Spider-man? I crack myself up. Okay, I need to focus. In and out, quick and easy. _

Spider-man crawled through a vent on the deck of the Tri-Carrier and into the wreckage. As he made his way through the ducts Spider-man could hear the symbiotes shuffling around below him. Spider-man continued until he reached the helm of the ship. Looking down through a grate, he could see Fury's main computer and a curious looking metal sphere. With no sign of the symbiotes, Spider-man opened the grate and jumped down.

_Let's see here, latest entries...nothing on Kraven...maybe if I check the date when he beat the other me and Ava…_

Logs and logs scrolled past Spider-man's eyes, until he stopped at a certain report.

_Bingo! Sergei Kravinoff, AKA Kraven the Hunter, last seen at..the Raft? The super-villain prison? If he's locked up how could Ava not have her amulet back? Weird...all the entries on the Raft stop here…_

Spider-man searched for more on the Raft but found nothing. He was about to leave until he noticed the most recent data that had been entered in the S.H.I.E.L.D. database.

_No...what did they do...Project: Venom!? That's how the symbiotes got here! S.H.I.E.L.D. must've contained it and experimented on it, looks like it got out of control. Says here Dr. Connors managed to change it to get rid off all the crazy cooped up inside that thing._

Spider-man looked over at the sphere he saw earlier.

_That must be the finished product. They reduced it in size so that it couldn't take over anyone, at least not anyone with superpowers. I guess all those agents had been volunteers to see if what the Docs did worked. _

Spider-man was considering using it, to give himself an added power boost, but then he realized how bad of an idea that was. Still, he took Venom with him to ensure that nobody else could use it. Spidey jumped back up into the vents and made his way out.

_Why do I get the feeling those symbiotes know something's up...can they sense the Venom I'm carrying? I really hope not._

Spider-man heard a crashing noise, and felt a tug on his leg.

"Me and my big mouth." Spider-man was yanked through the vent down into the halls of the Tri-Carrier. "Hey guys, I was just visiting so if you don't mind I actually know my way out so…"

The symbiotes jumped him from all directions, nothing driving them but the desire to end the wall crawler.

"Oh boy! I guess that's my cue to boogie!" Spider-man jumped up and began running along the ceiling, dodging tendrils and claw swipes from below.

_Oh man oh man oh man this could not get any worse! _Spider-man looked down and saw the Venom container was leaking. _Crap I did it again, Oh no you don't small dark and gooey. I'm not your new best friend so stay right there._

In his moment of distraction a symbiote managed to clip his leg and bring Spider-man down off the ceiling.

"Great, now there's more of them. I need to get a new hobby." Spider-man looked around him, the symbiotes were closing in, and Venom was looking like a better idea by the second. "I know I'm so gonna regret this."

Spider-man punched his fist through the metal container and allowed Venom to cover him.

The symbiotes were thrown back in waves as they were overpowered en masse. The only thing you could hear was the crunching of fist against slime, bodies being thrown against metal walls, and then nothing. After all had settled down a figure stood triumphant above the rest. A man in black suit with a large white spider adorning his chest. Spider-man had used the power of Venom to defeat all the symbiotes.

"Well, as long as you don't take over my body I think I can live with this." Spider-man looked himself over, still a bit skeptical of his new partner. "Well, let's find Kraven."


	13. Boot Camp

**While Spider-man's out dealing with Kraven, we're gonna take a little break and see what's happening with Ava and Luke. Thanks for continuing to read and I hope you all enjoy!**

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In the depths of midtown high, Ava and Luke began their training while Peter was off searching for Kraven.

"Alright Ava, I figure the best way to do this is to jump right in with some sparring. Right now we all need to be at our best. Peter has a plan, I think, and he needs us to back him up." Luke began briefing Ava.

"I see your point, It's been a long time since I've done anything like this so it looks like we'd better get started. Honestly I'd like to be up to par when Peter comes back with my amulet." Ava agreed with Luke.

"You don't know that he'll find it Ava, or that he can beat Kraven." Luke seemed to be playing devil's advocate, but he had a legitimate point.

"He'll come back, he has to…"

Ava and Luke each took their stances, and Ava jumped at Luke with a flying punch. She'd been out of the game for many years, but some old habits die hard. Luke's impenetrable skin meant that a full on attack on him without Ava's powers would certainly break her bones. Luke made it a point to either dodge or move with each hit. Ava was doing better than expected, she was out of breath but she knew what she was doing. Ava's fighting instincts came back to her without hesitation.

"You're doing really well Ava! This might be easier than I thought!" Luke told her, while dodging a kick to his face.

"Thanks Luke! This isn't so bad, but I've got a lot of work to do yet!" Ava jumped over him and swept his legs, leaving Luke on the ground.

_This is good, hopefully her confidence will come up after our training. Ava looked a little depressed earlier, maybe when she gets her powers back we'll have the old White Tiger again._

About two hours passed, and the first day of training was finally over. Ava was tired, she hadn't worked that hard in a long time but she was making progress.

Luke walked over to Ava and handed her a water bottle. "You did good today, but it'll get harder each day until you're ready."

"Thanks Luke, I'm still worried though." Ava took a drink.

"You'll be fine, at this rate there's nothing to worry about."

"It's not that, it's about Peter." Ava's expression sank.

"You're worried he might not come back, aren't you?"

Ava's eyes began to water. "Yes."

"He's the strongest guy I've ever met, he's only 16 and he came to a strange world without any of his friends and it hasn't shaken him. If there's anyone who can do this, it's webs."

"It's been so long since I've seen him, the old him, before he…changed."

Luke just stood there.

"I missed him Luke. I missed him a lot."

"He's back Ava, just be glad about that."

Luke could see Ava was conflicted, this was the Peter she knew and clearly had feelings for, but she knew he wasn't her Peter. This Spider-man had his own friends from his world, his own Ava.

Luke walked back over to his computer, still no luck with getting to Kun-lun. Luke sat there, looking at his screen hoping something good would happen, nothing for now. He decided to come back to it later, no sense rushing this while Peter was still out. After all, they weren't going anywhere without him or Ava's amulet.

Luke left it for now and looked back at Ava, except she wasn't there.

Ava was in her living quarters, the S.H.I.E.L.D. facility was outfitted similarly to the bomb shelter and Ava clearly made that connection.

Ava began sifting through her personal effects, trying to spruce up her room.

"These old things bring back memories." Ava took out a framed photo of herself along with the rest of the team. "Can't say I don't miss those days." Ava then took out another photo, but this one of just her and Peter.

Ava put the photos on her end table and returned to her bag. "I doubt I'll ever wear this again." Ava was looking at her old White Tiger suit. "Even if I get my powers again I think it might be a time for a new look."

Luke peered through the doorway, and he wasn't sure how to feel. On one hand, he felt sorry for her, but he was also happy as those memories came back to him as well. Luke left Ava alone.


	14. Not in Kansas Anymore

**Sorry for the wait everyone, I was really busy with school and stuff. Here's the next chapter!**

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Spider-man made his way back to midtown, worried how Luke and Ava would react to his new look. They'd had bad experiences when it came to the black goo that now made ups Spidey's costume and, although he hated to admit it, Spider-man thought that having the symbiote under control was an asset.

_I know Kraven's based at the Raft, but I have no way of getting there without going for a swim, which I really don't wanna do. Last time anybody swam outside Manhattan they came back with an extra arm or a serious case of BO, and I don't think there's any laundromats still open around here. Hopefully Luke has some way of getting me there._

"Hey guys I'm back!" Spider-man walked in on his friends.

The two of them turned around and were shocked by what had greeted them.

"Peter! What are you wearing!? Is that Venom!?" Ava was freaking out, this version of her didn't seem to be as calm and collected as his own.

"Okay before you start getting mad, S.H.I.E.L.D. found a way to remove it's aggression! See? No giant evil death monster! Just your incredibly handsome leader." Spider-man tried to reassure her, she still seemed doubtful.

"Spidey, if that thing isn't as docile as you think it is, how're we gonna stop it?" Luke wondered. "I'm just playing devil's advocate here, but I trust your judgement."

"It'll be fine Luke, plus the extra strength and organic webs are a serious help here. I got this." Spider-man was sure everything would turn out alright. "Oh and I found Kraven."

"What!? Where is he!? Did you beat him!?" Ava asked. "Did you get the amulet?"

"I meant what I said, the Raft, not yet, no." Spider-man counted off on his fingers as he answered Ava's barrage of questions.

"He's at the Raft? What could he be doing there?" Luke wondered.

"I thought the same thing. That place is a massive nut house full of supervillains, unless he's having a birthday party I can't see it as anything good."

"Peter, the Raft here in our world was destroyed by the Goblin. He let everyone locked up there loose as part of his ultimate plan."

"So what could Kraven want with it? Is he setting up some secret base?" Ava theorized.

"Maybe a petting zoo?" Peter joked.

Ava and Luke just stared at him.

"Okay I'll be serious now. Luke, can you get me there?" Peter asked.

"I haven't been able to get us any kind of transport but I think I know where an old Avengers Quinjet is."

"Seriously!? Luke that's awesome! So where is it?" Peter asked.

"It looks like it actually crashed into the Baxter Building. Only problem is the unstable nature of Dr. Richards' work there has the whole building phasing in and out of this dimension." Luke explained. "It's gonna be tricky to get a hold of it."

"Speaking of which what happened to the Fantastic Four?" Peter asked, he assumed they got taken out by the Goblin gas but there's no way Reed Richards had been defenseless against it.

"They're in the negative zone. I heard something about setting up a new superpowered prison after the Raft was destroyed but Dr. Doom trapped them there." Ava told him, she remembered what had happened.

"So much for help from the FF." Peter seemed to lose a little hope after that. "Well either way I've gotta get that Quinjet so I'm outta here."

"Peter, you should let us come too." Ava urged him.

"Sorry. I'm the only one fast enough to avoid getting sucked into who knows where. Besides, I think you've still got training here with Luke."

"Alright, you win this one Parker." Ava admitted defeat.

"I always do, and next time Ava? Lay off the fries." Peter smiled and bolted out of the school. He figured he could have some fun for old time's sake.

"PARKER! I'LL KILL YOU!" Ava screamed after him. Once she saw he was gone, she walked back to Luke. "Let's just get back to work okay?" She said, absentmindedly placing a hand on her stomach.

"Yeah I think that's a good idea." Luke couldn't help but chuckle at Ava's embarrassment.

The training resumed.

Outside, Spider-man swung over to the Baxter Building. The giant shining headquarters of the Fantastic Four, or that's what it used to be. The top of the skyscraper, which used to be Reed Richards' lab, looked like a crater. It was blown open from the side and a bright light was flashing inside it.

_Alrighty then, let's see what's behind door number 4._

Climbing up to the top, Spider-man peered inside. Scraps of tech were scattered about the lab and right in front of him was...no Quinjet.

_Great, looks like Cage got bad intel. _The building began to shake. _Oh boy what's going on? _There was another flash of light. _Hey look! I found a Quinjet! So I think the trick is to get inside when it's here, start it up, and then wait for it to be here again and fly away? I really hope it's that simple._

Spider-man sprinted towards the aircraft and shot a web ball at the door's opening mechanism. As he got closer, the building started to shake again.

_Oh crap oh crap oh crap hurry Spidey!_

The Quinjet disappeared just in time to pick up its first passenger in years. Spider-man breathed a sigh of relief and looked around. As he walked into the cabin he looked out the window. Spider-man was definitely in another dimension, but he had no clue where.

_This looks like New York, but like, in a hundred years. _The buildings that adorned the landscape looked to be futuristic. Before Spider-man could get his bearings he felt a familiar shaking feeling.

_Here we go again._


	15. Bonds

**Gonna slow this one down a little, not much action here but I thought it deserved some more character interaction and story driving. Sorry if that's not your thing but I wanted to get it out and into the thick of it.**

* * *

Spider-man felt himself being thrown through another rift in the Quinjet. Only this time he landed in a place that made him feel conflicted, his home.

_It's...my world. I can go home just like that, right now. Everything I've been working towards and now I have an out...but what about Ava and Luke? Danny? They need me, but they're not even my friends! They're not my versions of my team, what should I do? _

Spider-man was shocked at how badly he wanted to go home, to see his aunt May, to see Ava.

_No, I have to finish what I started. With great power, there must also come great responsibility. I owe it to the others to help them. Sorry guys, I'll be back soon._

Spider-man was once again sent hurtling through the multiverse. Finally, after much travelling, he arrived back in the dimension of his darker side with his future team.

_Okay let's do this. Just fly this thing out of here, like a video game. I think it is at least. _

Spider-man put the Quinjet in gear and hit the big red button. _Big red buttons always do stuff, so why not? _The Quinjet flew out of the Baxter Building and into the air above New York City.

_Holy crap that worked! I'm actually flying this thing! Now I just need to figure out how to land._

Luke was perched on the roof of Midtown High, awaiting the return of his friend. As an engine's roar became audible in the distance, his spirits rose.

"Ava! Come out here! You gotta see this!" Luke yelled back inside.

"What's happening? Did Peter get it?" Ava asked as she climbed up to Luke.

"Looks like it, unless that's someone else flying a Quinjet."

"He actually did it, nice one Parker."

The Quinjet was set down beside the school and walked out onto the pavement.

"Lady and Gentleman, I present one Quinjet as requested." Spider-man said taking a bow.

"Nice! I'll just fix it up a little and get you over to the Raft." Luke told him.

"How long will it take?" Peter asked, the symbiote retreated off his face to reveal himself.

"It should be ready by tomorrow at the latest. You should get some rest anyway."

"Yeah, maybe you're right."

The three of them went back inside and Luke got to work on the Quinjet.

A few hours had passed, and Peter was sitting on the edge of the roof of his old school.

"Hey Webhead, what're you doing up here?" Ava had noticed his disappearance, she figured he'd be up here.

"Just thinking, about everything." Peter was unusually serious. His voice was quieter also. Ava took a seat next to him.

"Wanna talk about it?"

"It's nothing, just some crazy stuff going on."

"I know what you mean, this other 'you' and your world...kinda nuts."

"Did your version of me ever tell you why I do this? Why I'm Spider-man?" Peter asked. He knew there were differences and he wasn't sure if this was one of them.

"No we never got around to spending a lot of time together." Peter could see this made Ava sad, he took hold of her hand.

"When I first got my powers, I was selfish with them. I figured the only person I ever had to look out for was me. One day, someone robbed the wrestling guy who ripped me off. I decided it wasn't my problem and I let him go."

"Peter…"

"When I got home I found out my uncle Ben had been murdered. He was shot by a car-jacker in cold blood. I tracked the guy to an abandoned warehouse and had him cornered. It was him, the guy I let run right by me a few hours earlier."

"Oh my god. What'd you do?" Ava was starting to tear up.

"I left him for the cops, webbed to the wall of the warehouse and unconscious. I learned what my uncle had been trying to teach me, that with great power there must also come great responsibility." Peter looked over at Ava. Their eyes met and she embraced him.

"Peter I'm so sorry, no one should have to go through that." Ava let him go.

"It's alright, I live with that every day and it makes me stronger."

"Wow, now I get what drives you all the time. It's incredible Peter. I see you're not just some idiot in a spider costume." Ava gave a little chuckle at the end.

"Gee thanks, glad to know you respect my wardrobe." Peter smiled at her. "You look good Ava, Luke's been working you hard?"

"Thanks, yeah it's been tough but I'm starting to feel like my old self again." Ava stood up. "We should go back inside, get some sleep. It's gotten late."

Peter got up also. "Sounds good, I'll walk you inside."

"Not like you're going someplace different webs."

"I thought it'd be a nice gesture Tiger, let me have that one would ya?"

The two heroes went back down into the school, the moon shining bright in the clear night sky. The task that loomed over the team seemed so distant at times like these, but it was coming, and they couldn't avoid it.


End file.
